RaW nominated for Student Radio Awards 2013

Radio Warwick (RaW) has been nominated for two categories in the Student Radio Awards 2013, including Best Student Radio Station.

Warwick University’s student-run radio station has received nominations for Best Student Radio Station and Best Marketing and Station Sound ahead of the annual Student Radio Awards (SRA) ceremony held in November.

The competition celebrates the best student station broadcasting from across the UK in 14 categories, ranging from Best Technical Achievement to Best Newcomer.

Amy Johnson, station manager and third-year English literature student, said: “The nominations represent the station as a whole; they are indicative of the passion of the dedicated volunteers and these nominations are everyone’s.”

The Best Student Radio Station award is given to the station with “the biggest impact with its audience in the last year” and is supported by BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra.

RaW hosted a variety of on-air events last year including the MaRaWathon which saw the society host more than 120 shows in a 100 hour special.

It raised awareness of homelessness in Coventry and Leamington and received £1500 of donations for local charity, Coventry Cyrenians.

The station also presented extensive coverage of Varsity 2013 and the Big D campaign that oversaw the Student Union Sabbatical Officer elections.

Other nominations for the top prize include University Radio Nottingham, which has won the award for the last three years, as well as Cardiff, Nottingham Trent, Bournemouth and Leeds universities.

The second nomination, Best Marketing and Station Sound, recognises a strong awareness of “on-air, off-air and online branding”.

RaW’s branding included producing a unique range of jingles, such as Halloween-themed, to focus on appealing to the student audience rather than replicating national radio shows.

Robin James Kerrison, producer-presenter and second-year mathematics student, paid his thanks to the off-air team: “Really the technical wizards should get the recognition as without them the station wouldn’t be running at all.”

Philip Stoneman, head of production and second-year economics student, commented: “I’m now in my second year at RaW and to be part of everything, coming into something so organised [the station], is humbling.”

Results will be announced at the annual SRA ceremony on November 7 at the indigO2 venue. Global Radio, BBC Future Media and the British Council are among those supporting the event.

RaW won four Student Radio Awards last year that included two golds for Best Newcomer; Abbie McCarthy and Best Outside Broadcast; Varsity 2012, a silver for Best Speech Programming; ‘How I lost my faith’ and a bronze for Best Entertainment Programme; The Tom Davies Show with Tom Davies.

The nominations follow on from a successful year in which the radio station won Best Arts & Media society in the University of Warwick Students’ Union Societies Awards 2012-2013.